fuller



3 Sheets Sheet l.

(No Model.)

L. K. FULLER.

REED OMAN ACTION.

Patented Sept. 18, M388.

INVENTQRI WITNESSESI N. PErEns. Prmwmhagmpher. wnshingxn, D. c4

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

L. K. FULLER.

REED ORGAN ACTION.l

No. 389.698. Y

Patented Sept. 18, 1888.

NVENTOR;

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lzftorney WITNESS'ESI N. PETERS. PmmLiu-mgnpmr. wnhzngmn. Dv C.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

L. K. FULLER.

REED 036m ACTION. A 180.389.698. Patented Sept. 18', 1888.

INVENTGR: 7 WITNESSES;

N. PETERS, PhmVLiu-wgnpber. wnsmngmn, U. a

UNITED STATES PATENT OErieE.

LEVI K. FULLER, OF BRATTLEBOROUGH, VERMONT, ASSG-NOR TO THE ESTEY ORGAN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

REED=ORGAN ACTION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389,698, dated September 18, 1888.

Application filed December 7, 1857,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEvr K. FULLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Brattleborough, in the county of Vindham and State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reed-Organs, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in reed-organs,and especially to that class of such organs which have enlarged scales of reeds extending laterally beyond the compass of the keys or manual and intermediate levers or couplings arranged between the keys and their respective tracker-pins. The ordinary reedorgan contains scales of reeds of uniform size, correspondingin length with the manual and under the same, the keys acting directly on the tracker-pins to open the valves. Thekeys conform in width and length nearly to a uniform standard. In piper-organs the action is ofgreat magnitude as compared with the length of the key-board, and suitable mechanism for connecting the keys with the valves must be devised for each particular organ. In reedorgans laterallyfenlarged scales of reeds have been used, the tracker-pins in these having been connected with their respective keys. by means of levers. The purpose of this is to reproduce in a reed-organ in a condensed forni the effects of the pipe-organ. The extent to which this may be carried is controlled somewhat by the size of the reeds, and if they are greater than that accepted as a standard reed of the ordinary scale they must be arranged in special boards and the valve mechanism be operated by special devices.

To this end one ofthe main objects of my invention is to avoid the obj ectionable features of the devices heretofore employed for this purpose, and to enable the maker to use any size of scale of reeds that he desires and to arrange it in the most convenient form.

This part of my invention consists in providing a novel intermediate connecting mechanism between the keys and their respective tracker-pins, this connector being in the nature of an obliquely-arranged rock-shaft. The employment of these rock-shafts involves also the construction of the action itself; and starting with the division near the central part of the action Wherever it may be desired to Serial No. QSTQO. (No model.)

divide the stop mechanismbetwecn the treble and bass in order to be able to employ a rockshaft of the requisite length to operate easily and without unnecessary friction, I leave a vacant space in the middle part of the socketboard, in which space there are no reeds, and I extend the rock-shafts obliquely in opposite directions from the two adjacent keys at the line of division to the two tracker-pins, respeetively, next adjacent to the said vacant space. There being no vacant space in the key-board at this point of division, but a considerable space between the two trackerpins to be actuated by the two keys at this point,I am thereby enabled to make these connecting rock-shafts, which are the shortest employed, of sufficient length. Vhere there is no vacant space or hiatus in the socket-board the intermediate connecting devices at this point are necessarily so very short as to operate inefficiently. This division in the socket-board will be seen to possess important advantages, as it affords a starting-point from which one can work each way in effecting the coupling arrangements both for the unison and the octave.

Other features ofthe invention will be hereinafter indicated.

My invention will be fully described herein after, and its novel features carefully defined in the claims.

In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure l is a plan of the middle or central portion of an organ-action embodying my improvements. In this view only a few of the keys are represented in full lines. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the action, taken substantially along line 2 2 in Fig. I. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of a part of the action, taken substantially on line 23 3 in Fig. l. This view is designed mainly to illustrate the mutes or dampers at the left-hand or bass end of the action. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary plan View designed to more fully illustrate the construction of the couplers.

A represents the top of the wind-chest, Il, the socket-board; u. a, the reed-cells; C C, the swells; D D, the mntcs at the right of the eentral space, X, (see Fig. 1;) B, the auxiliary socket-board; ct rt', the reed-cells therein; D', the mutes therefor; E, the main valves, actu- IOO stasera ated by tracker-pins F; ,tlie auxiliary valves connected with and actuated by the main valves E, and G G are the keys of the instrument and H the frame supporting them.

By reference to Fig. l it will be seen that there is a space, X, at the middle of the socketboard, dividing the sets of reed-cells into right and left portions, and at this space there is a division between the parts beneath the keysfor example, between the mutes, the sets of reeds, the stop mechanisms which actuate the mutes and octave-couplers, and between the couplers at either end of the key-board.

On the top of Aeach tracker-pin F is a disk or button, I), and on a platform, I, on or over the socket-board are mounted in series rock-shafts c c, (one for each key G,`) made of wire, by preference, which shafts form intermediate couplings or connections between the keys G and their respective tracker-pins. Each intermediate rock shaft, c, has two arms bent or formed on its respective ends at the proper angle and extending from its body, preferably on the same side. These arms are preferably of about the same length. One of the arms, c', is attened, and stands under a key, G, and the other, c, is in the form of a crank, and its crank-pin is arranged to rest on the button b of the proper tracker-pin. The vshaft c has bearings formed by clips c, secured to the platform I. Although all the shafts c are substantially alike in form, they will vary in length and position, in order to connect each key with its proper tracker-pin, and this variation will depend on the particular spacing of the reeds as compared with the spacing of the keys.

In order that the keys may be brought to exactly the same level without the necessity of altering the shaft-arnis or tracker-pins, the keys are provided each with a screw, d, which has a disk-like padded head to bear on the arm c of shaft c. By screwing in or unscrewing this screw d the upper surfaces of the keys may be brought to a uniform level very convenientlyaud quickly. Ihe shafts c on the right of the central space, X, extend obliquely in one direction,and those on the left extend obliquely in the opposite direction. This construction and arrangement enables me to give tothe rock-shafts c at this point sufficient length to operate properly. These shafts, as will be seen, are necessarily the shortest of the sets.

The octave-coupler, as I have said, is also divided at this central point, the portion at the left being entirely independent of that at the right, and each is actuated or put in play by a separate stop. The coupler consists of a board, J, hinged at c, below the platform I. On this board are mounted the coupler rockshafts g g, which may be formed and mounted in substantially the same manner as the intermediate shafts, c. On each tracker-pin F is a disk, b', arranged at the proper distance below the disk b, and over this disk stands one arm, g, of the coupler rock-shaft g, the other arm, g', standing below the proper key Normally, the depression of the key in playing is not sufficient to rock the coupler-shaft; but when it is desired to employ the coupler the player draws out the proper stop, and this, acting through a rock-lever, h, which has a toe, h', that stands under the board J, raises said board on its hinges, and with it the rockshafts thereon, high enough for the keys to act on and depress the arms g of said shafts, and through said shafts open the proper valves. Ot' course the shafts g will be arranged to compass or take in the octaves, as in other octavecouplers. In Fig. 1 I have shown two of the coupler-shafts in full in dotted lines. Ascrew, d', in the lowerface of the key, similar to screw d, serves as an adjustable contact for actuating or rocking the couplershaft.

The valves E E are held up to their seatsV by springs i i of the usual kind. On the extremity of valve E is a lip, j, which projects out over a lip, j', on the extremity of the valve E', and in the lip j on the latter, valve is an adjustable contactscrew, k, on the padded head of which the lip j bears. It is through the medium of the lipsj and j and this screw lo that valve E when pressed off from its seat presses valve E also off from its seat. The several mute-levers Z Z, as well as the levers l of the coupler, will be connected with the stop-knobs in the usual or any suitable manner.

By means of my intermediate rock-shaft, c, with arms of substantially the same length, having one of said arms arranged under the key in substantially the same position as that ordinarily occupied by the tracker-pin, I obtain, as will be seen, the same result inl substance as I would if the key acted directly on the pin, and the pressure required on the keys will not be materially different; and one object of my invention is to obtain the advantages of an enlarged scale of reeds extending laterally' beyond the .compass of the manual without increasing the touch or pressure required for opening the valves. Another advantage is that I may add auxiliary reeds and socket-boards of substantially the same scale without being obliged to resort to expensive mechanism to operate the same.

In order to soften or damp the tone when the mute D is partly raised, I provide one or more of the sets of reeds with auxiliary mutes or soft stops,7 adapted to act as obstructions until the mutes are raised high enough to allow the full tone to be heard. I show two forms of this device. In Fig. 2, D2 is a strip of wood or other suitable material placed on the foundatioaboard just in front of the free edge of a mute, D, and held down by a spring or springs, m, so that it may be adjusted in position with respect to the mute D. This forms the auxiliary mute or soft stop. When the mute D is raised, the tone will be at iirst soft, and will increase to full Volume when the mute has been fully opened. In Fig. 3 the soft stop or auxiliary mute D IOC IIO

consists of a broad strip resting edgewise on the foundation-board just in front of the mute D, and held down by a spring or springs m, which are attached to the socket-board and extend out over the mute. In order to allow the mute D to rise a little without disturbing the soft stop, the mute D is cut away a little at the point where the spring is arranged, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3; but when the mute D is raised beyond or above a certain point it takes under the springs m and raises the soft stop D2 and allows the full tone to be heard.

As I have before stated, reed-organs having enlarged scales of reeds have had the movements of the keys communicated to their respective tracker-pins by obliquely-arranged levers of a different class from the connecting devices I employ. I employ for the unison a coupling device almost identical with that employed for the octave, the difference residing mainly in the length of the wire crank-shaft. These cranked rock-shafts have been before employed in couplers, but not for connecting shafts having an arm, c, on one end, which takes under the key, and an arm, c, on the other end, which rests on the tracker-pin belonging to that key, each key being connected normally and directly with its proper tracker-pin by one of said rock-shafts, as set forth.

2. In a reed-organ, the combination, with the keys and their respective tracker-pins, of the rock-shafts c, which couple said keys and pins in unison, and the rock-shafts g, which couple the said keys and pins in octave, substantially as set forth.

3. Ina reed-organ, the combination, with the keys of the manual and their respective tracker-pins, of the two sets of rock-shafts c, coupling the keys with their tracker-pins in unison, said sets of rock-shafts having opposite obliquities, as set forth.

4. In a reed-organ, the combination, with a mute, as D, and a set of reeds controlled by said mute, of an auxiliary mute, D', arranged directly in front of mute D, and a spring, on., attached to said auxiliary mute and extending over the mute D, whereby the raising of mute D to its full height is caused to raise the mute D2, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LEVI K. FULLER.

Vitnesses:

LUTHER W. HMVLEY, XVALTER H. CHILDS. 

